Air Force Birthday

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Air Force Turns 71

The US Air Force was officially founded on 18 September 1947, and in the decades since it has established itself as an air force second-to-none. Yet the Air Force's history and heritage goes back the turn of the twentieth century.

Between 1909 -- when that the US military purchased its first aircraft -- and 1947, the US Air Force did not exist as a separate and independent military service organization. It went through a series of designations: Aeronautical Section, Signal Corps (1909); Aviation Section, Signal Corps (1914); United States Army Air Service (1918); United States Army Air Corps (1926), and United States Army Air Forces (1941).

WWII illustrated the value of airpower, and the need to change the basic organization of the US Military Forces. The result was the creation of a single Department of Defense with a strong Joint Chiefs of Staff with Army, Navy, and Air Force chiefs. In 1947 President Truman signed the National Security Act which established this new defense organization, and along with it the creation of the US Air Force as an independent service, equal to the US Army and US Navy. The official birthday of the US Air Force is 18 September 1947.

Join Military.com in saluting our country's Air Force with the historical features and profiles on this page.

Timeline: Air Force Milestones

1949: The flight of the “Lucky Lady II” demonstrated the Air Force’s capability to fly, non-stop round the world, showing it could take off from the U.S. and drop bombs anywhere in the world.

1950-1953: USAF engaged in the first completely jet aerial combat During the Korean War. The F-86 Saberjet scored impressive aerial victories against the enemy MiG-15.

1954: The first B-52 Stratofortress came into the USAF Inventory and has served in every conflict since its appearance.

1960s: The development and deployment of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) as a major component of the aerial defense capability of the United States.

1964-1973: War in Vietnam

1970s: The development of laser-guided bombs and TV-guided air to ground missiles. Air mobility took a major step forward with the introduction of the C-5 Galaxy in the Air Force Inventory. Other aircraft systems introduced in this decade were the F-15, A-10, AWACS, and F-16.

1980s: Stealth Technology was revealed advent of the F-117; strategic bomber capability was increased with the deployment of the B-1.

1990s: USAF played a major role in the swift defeat of the Iraqi military forces in the first Persian Gulf War: The Air Force underwent a major reorganization with the formation of Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command, and Air Force Materiel Command. The USAF supported the war in the Balkans, and the US intervention Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti.

2000-- Present: The Expeditionary Air Force concept was a major transition in how the Air Force employed forces. The Global War on Terrorism brought the USAF into Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.